Forewarned is Forearmed
by RhoGlass
Summary: (Forearmed is also forearmed, but try telling that to meddling witches and impossible younger sisters!) When the Fellowship find a girl alone, ensorcelled and vulnerable in the wilds of Hollin they have little choice but to bring her with them. When she wakes they find that she was intended for them to find all along. Tenth Walker. GiME.


**Forewarned is Forearmed**

**Chapter One**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Lord of the Rings.

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><p>They were packing up the camp, scattering the remnants of the fire and rolling up bedrolls and cloaks alike as the afternoon promised to be fair, the sun already warming the air far more than was usual for early November.<p>

They were mostly prepared, Bill had been reburdened and the hobbits had broken their fast with some of the hard journey bread and pressed bars of dried fruit and honeyed oats provided in abundance by the kitchens of Rivendell.

There was just one of their party yet unaccounted for.

"And where is that blasted elf?" demanded Gimli, joining Aragorn on the rocky outcrop that had served as their watch post the following night.

"Legolas woke early and left to scout the path ahead a bit."

"And left us waiting on his whim to set forth this morning," the dwarf grumbled.

"Has Legolas not yet returned?" asked Boromir—who'd taken the first watch—his brow creasing as he peered into the scrub brush and thinning evergreens.

"Not yet," said Aragorn grimly, "I am worried, I confess. He knew when we were meant to depart and he would not have tarried without a reason—"

"And you fear that reason is that something ill has befallen him," finished Boromir, frowning.

Aragorn inclined his head in agreement, letting his hand drop to the hilt of his sword as he scanned the forest again, searching for the flash of white-gold that would herald his friend's return.

It was Gandalf that spotted him first though as the elf approached from entirely the opposite direction, back from the way they'd come.

"There you are," announced the wizard, "We were beginning to wonder if you'd wandered off on us."

Aragorn turned at the familiar sound of Legolas' laughter.

"Not so, Mithrandir," he answered, "But I do seem to have stumbled across a slight problem."

Gandalf's bushy eyebrows crept up into his hairline as Legolas left the cover of the denser thicket of trees and brush.

There was a girl, bound hand and foot with a bit of rope and apparently unconscious, slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"What is this?" asked Gandalf, as Legolas set her, not ungently on the forest floor.

"A daughter of man, to be sure, though not one garbed in any manner with which I am familiar," answered Legolas, "I found her just a few hundred yards hence, laying splayed across a bit of rock. At first I thought her injured, but there is no mark nor wound upon her, yet nothing I have attempted has been sufficient to rouse her, so I cannot say that she is but sleeping."

"Most curious," said Gandalf, kneeling down a bit and feeling at the girl's head.

Aragorn examined Legolas' discovery, surprised to find that he also had no notion of where she might be from, strangely garbed as she was.

The girl was not large in frame, Aragorn estimated that she wouldn't stand more than a few inches taller than Gimli, but she appeared to have fully grown at least. She was as swarthy as any of the men of the south or the mixed-breed Dalefolk and her hair was dark, soft-looking and left unbound. It had tangled with the greenery and a forest's worth of leaves and twigs stuck fast to the curls and there was a bit of mud smudged on her face. Still she was comely, fine-featured and in possession of a shapely figure.

"And what in Mahal's name were you thinking bringing her back here?" demanded Gimli, breaking Aragorn out of his thoughts.

He had his long-handled axe in hand and rapped it sharply against the ground to illustrate his displeasure.

Legolas turned a chilly glare upon the dwarf—even after their long weeks of forced company on the road the two could still barely tolerate each other.

"It seemed the only choice left to me. I searched awhile for a village or a settlement that might know of her, or at least take her from me, but as well you know we chose our route to take us well away from any holding of elves, men or dwarves and I found no one. Not even another camp, and so was forced to return with her."

"What's wrong with her?" asked Merry, curiously, creeping a bit closer.

"Some form of sorcery I should imagine," sighed Gandalf rising, "Though I cannot detect the taint of the Enemy upon her I am not familiar with this kind of spellwork."

"Does that mean that you can't fix her?" asked Pippin, frowning.

"It means that I need to think on it awhile before I attempt anything rash, Peregrin Took," said Gandalf sharply before turning on Legolas, "It speaks well of your nobility Legolas Greenleaf that you would not leave her too her fate, unfortunately we have not the luxury for an overabundance of nobility in these dark times. The quest must take precedence."

Legolas' mouth tightened faintly at the corners, and after a moment he gave Gandalf a stiffly formal nod, "I apologize, Mithrandir. I did not think."

"We cannot just leave her!" protested Boromir immediately and vociferously, "The wilds are dangerous enough for a traveler alone, leaving aside the fact that so-ensorcelled she could not lift a hand to defend herself from poisoned oak let alone anything more sinister."

"I will not allow my actions to burden the company further. I will take responsibility for her care and safety," said Legolas, his tone still clipped.

Gandalf waved him off impatiently, "It is done. In the future though I'd ask that you not take in hapless strays, we must hold fast to our purpose and allow no delay. We'll not slow for you Legolas, mark me now."

"As you say," agreed Legolas, with another stiff nod.

"Good, good," said the wizard, moving forward purposefully,"Now, I believe we have lingered here quite long enough, the sun is fully risen and we've yet to start our travels."

The fellowship gathered up their packs and followed after Gandalf promptly, not wanting to risk the wizard's bad temper.

Legolas bent and picked up the girl again, settling her over the opposite shoulder to the one that held his bow.

"If she wakes she'll not thank you for the rough ride," Aragorn said wryly, falling into step with his friend as the girl swayed and bounced, limp and unresisting.

"I know, yet I would not further burden Bill as he has the bulk of our gear upon his back and bears it without complaint."

"You are hardly a pony, _mellon nîn_," Aragorn pointed out, "If you tire I can bear her for a spell."

"And I," Boromir put in, "You need only ask."

That brought a faint smile to Legolas' face, "My thanks, but the load is light compared to some I have borne, I think I shan't tire so quickly."

Gimli snorted at that, "It's yet a wonder to me that you bear up under the weight of your own weapon Master Elf, as stretched and thin as you appear. But, aye, I'll offer you my own back for when yours tires."

"And have the lady take an injury with her head knocking upon the ground? I think not Master Dwarf," Legolas shot back, his glare positively frigid.

Aragorn would wager that he didn't appreciate being called stretched out anymore than Gimli appreciated being called short.

Boromir shook his head, the two of them sharing a commiserating look behind the backs of their fellows, and gave Legolas a wordless but approving clap on the shoulder, then he hefted his great shield higher up on his shoulder and jogged for a few steps to fall into place behind Merry and Pippin.

"I will take the front," Aragorn said, lengthening his stride to move ahead to Legolas' customary spot, ranging ahead scouting the trail, leaving Legolas to the rear-guard to keep his sharp ears pricked for danger following behind.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Hello and welcome to the story! Before you venture any further there are a few things that I'm sure readers would like to be aware of...

1. This story will be a good mix of movie and book verse events but I will tend to rely on the movie aspects or deviate from canon entirely either based on the premise of the story or where I want to add dramatic flair (therefore this is perhaps not a good story for the Tolkien purists among you)

2. I am going to be using an alternating POV and we will be spending as much time in the heads of the fellowship as with my OC

3. I am not 100% settled on the pairings, so if you have a suggestion feel free to let me know, but I do have a preference in mind already for the main romance (I want to leave it a surprise and let the relationships develop organically but if you absolutely have to know the pairings I'm leaning towards for whatever reason you can feel free to ask in a review or PM)

4. The story is rated M primarily for graphic descriptions of violence and potentially disturbing topics (for which I will attempt to add chapter specific warnings) but there may be sexual situations farther down the line (which I will also clearly mark out for those who want to avoid them).

5. Lastly, I hope you find that my OC is well-rounded and engaging but if at any point I stray too far into Mary-Sue territory please feel obligated to sound the alarms, light the beacons, and use whatever methods are to your liking to show me the error of my ways.

Well, hopefully that covers everything! I'll try not to be so long-winded in the future. In the meantime though, thanks for taking the time to read! I welcome any and all suggestions, questions, comments, or criticisms :)

-Rho


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